VH1 BTM2 (Behind The Music 2)
March 21, 2000

Photos From The Show

Complete Transcript From The Show

Comments From Toriphiles

On Tuesday, March 21, 2000, VH1 in the U.S. debuted the Tori episode of BTM2 (Behind The Music 2). The show was on for 30 minutes. (Behind The Music was a 60 minute program, but BTM2 episodes only last half an hour.) The show aired for a second time on Thursday, March 23, 2000. The show was repeated again on Tuesday, April 4, 2000 and on Saturday, April 8, 2000. This program was broadcast on VH1 in the U.K. for the first time on October 8, 2000. Australia got to see it in October and November 2000, including an appearance on November 21, 2000 on "Channel 8 Oh!" on Optus Australian television.

Below you will find my comments on the show, 45 photos from the program, a complete transcript of the program and a few comments from other Toriphiles.

I must say that VH1 did a superb job in my opinion with the show! I was pleasantly surprised and I think they made the most of that half hour. You really got a sense of who Tori was and what she was all about. It was respectful, and fun getting to see what her friends and associates said about her. There were a few little things here and there that could have been , but overall I give VH1 strong credit for a high quality episode!

Of course the biggest problem was how short it was! Once they got to Boys For Pele, they seemed to rush through the rest of her career, and that could have been alleviated had it been a one hour show. So while I loved the show, it really needed to be one hour to give Tori's career a more complete examination. Still, I think this is a great show to show a Tori novice to let them know what she is all about.

My favorite quotes were from Tori. She said at one point about what it was like touring, "It never was Animal House. I'm not that kind of person. It's about good wine and good food and...I'm not into being a pig in a trough you know, that doesn't interest me." During another time she was talking about her following and said, "It sometimes has that Grateful Dead appearance, except less patchouli ... better shoes."

My vote for stupidest comment? From critic Gavin Edwards who said, "The music moves her like a dog in heat." Ugh!

They showed a ton of brief clips from her many videos and past TV appearances and most of those I did not take a screen shot of below.

VH1 started showing commercials for BTM2 shortly before the first Tori episode aired, as well as after it. Richard Handal posted to the Precious Things mailing list a detail about the BTM2 commercials that I found hilarious. He said, "Cornflake Girl was playing underneath the announcer's voice as the initials BTM2 moved around onscreen, then, starting with Tori, they showed four upcoming guests as the announcer spoke their names. Then he said, 'Go where *they* go.'" Anyone familiar with the live version of Waitress in concert since 1998 should find this really funny, although my guess is it was a complete coincidence!

Various Shots Of Tori. Click on any thumbnail to see larger image.

People Who Talked About Tori. Click on any thumbnail to see larger image. The identities of most of them are in one of their photos. The guy in the black cap is Steve Caton, Tori's friend and guitarist (of course!)

Tori with her fans.

I must thank Michael McNamara for kindly sending this complete transcript to me. Enjoy!

TORI AMOS : BTM 2
Writers: Mark Rowland, Sheri Maroufkhani, Michael McNamara

COLD OPEN

TORI AMOS
You must surrender yourself to the source, to the music source.

MUSIC VIDEO: "CORNFLAKE GIRL" (Music Cue)

VO# 1
SHE'S A MINISTER'S DAUGHTER WITH THE STAGE MOVES OF A HEAVY METAL ROCKER

NATALIE CAPLAN
she is a very sensual performer

GAVIN EDWARDS
She is really getting it on with the piano and the piano bench. the music moves her, its like a dog in heat

MUSIC VIDEO: "CORNFLAKE GIRL"
"You bet your life it is..."

VO# 2
A PORCELAIN-SKINNED BEAUTY WHO DROVE HER CAREER WITH A WILL OF IRON

ERIC ROSSE
She was a bad Motherfucka' [LAUGH]

MARK HAWLEY
Tori's definitely in charge of every aspect of her career. She handles pressure by taking more on.

MARY AMOS
Her life has been just a series of struggles

MUSIC VIDEO: "SILENT ALL THESE YEARS" (Music Cue)

VO# 3
TORI AMOS WAS PLAYING MOZART IN KINDERGARTEN - BUT LATER, WHEN SHE TRIED TO PLAY HER OWN MUSIC, NOBODY WOULD LISTEN.

TORI AMOS
when I was six I had it together. It's when I turned nineteen, 20, that it all fell to pieces.

MUSIC VIDEO: "THE BIG PICTURE"
"Hey! The big picture..."

VO# 4
HER DEBUT ALBUM NEARLY DESTROYED HER REPUTATION

GAVIN EDWARDS
Y Kant Tori Read was, uh, not well received, they couldn't even sell them for 50 cents.

MUSIC VIDEO:"THE BIG PICTURE"
"That's gross!"

TORI AMOS
This Billboard article had called me a bimbo... fair enough.

VO# 5
BUT, INSTEAD OF CALLING IT QUITS, TORI FORGED AHEAD TO FIND HER TRUE VOICE

MUSIC VIDEO: "SILENT ALL THESE YEARS"
"... Silent all these years..."

VO# 6
SHE CAPTIVATED AUDIENCES WITH TRUE-LIFE TALES - INCLUDING THE STORY OF HER OWN RAPE.

LIVE PERF:"ME AND A GUN"
"It was Me and a Gun and a Man on my back..."

ARTHUR SPIVAK
she would always close her set with me and a gun, which is an unbelievably brave thing to do.

TV TRACK: "CRUCIFY" (Music Cue)

VO# 7
HER UNBRIDLED CONFESSIONS STRUCK A CHORD WITH FANS AROUND THE WORLD -- AND INSPIRED NOTORIOUS DISPLAYS OF DEVOTION

JOHN WITHERSPOON
There's a point where they can, you can love somebody just a little too much

STEVE CATON
Fanaticism comes to mind, yeah.

TORI AMOS
You really haven't achieved anything until you have a good old sociopath following you around.

TV TRACK:
"GLORY OF THE 80s"
(Music Cue)

VO# 8
NOW, THE STORY OF A REBEL WHO BECAME A ROLE MODEL, BY DOING IT ALL HER WAY - TORI AMOS, ON BEHIND THE MUSIC TWO.

[BTM2 GRAPHIC OPEN]

ACT ONE
TV TRACK: "CORNFLAKE GIRL" (Music Cue)

VO# 1
TO THOUSANDS OF ADORING FANS AROUND THE WORLD, TORI AMOS ISN'T JUST A POP STAR - SHE'S A CLOSE FRIEND, WHOSE SONGS REVEAL HER DEEPEST JOYS AND LONGINGS.

TORI AMOS
There's a part of me, I guess, yeah, in all my songs, and I choose not to extract which is which for people, like when they want to know // what percentage is your life experience and what is percentage and, can you define it. It's like, you know, that's between me and my shrink.

ERIC ROSSE
It's a journey of self-discovery, she goes down every conceivable alternative path that you can think of to kind of tell a story. And, you know, sometimes it's too, way too far out for people, but it's, it's her way.

MUSIC VIDEO: "GOD"
"God sometimes you just don't come though, God sometimes you just don't come though..."

VO# 2
THOSE WHO KNOW TORI BEST, SAY SHE'S A WOMAN WHOSE PERSONALITY, LIKE HER MUSIC, DEFIES DEFINITION.

STEVE CATON
How do you describe the taste of chocolate to someone who's never had it?

JOHN WITHERSPOON
She's never one person. She, she's a lot of different people.

ERIC ROSSE
a brilliant midget redhead on acid. She is music, mind body and soul. Its the most important thing to her.

MARY AMOS
As she said, music chose me, I didn't really choose it.

MUSIC VIDEO: "PRETTY GOOD YEAR"
"Well, hold on to nothing, as fast as you can. well, still, pretty good year..."

VO# 3
THEY SAY ARTISTS ARE MADE, NOT BORN - BUT TORI AMOS MIGHT BE THE EXCEPTION. SHE BEGAN PLAYING THE PIANO AT THE AGE OF TWO - AND LEARNED TO SING BEFORE SHE LEARNED TO TALK.

MARY AMOS
She was a happy child. Always playing the piano, and singing, um, making up songs. Our home was full of music.

EDISON AMOS
Before she was five we took her to a couple of musicals. After she had been to those, musicals she came in and played the whole score on the piano.

TV TRACK: "SILENT ALL THESE YEARS" (Music Cue)

VO# 4
TORI GREW UP OUTSIDE OF WASHINGTON D.C., THE YOUNGEST CHILD OF METHODIST MINISTER EDISON AMOS AND HIS WIFE MARY. WHEN TORI WAS FIVE, SHE WON A SCHOLARSHIP TO BALTIMORE'S PRESTIGIOUS PEABODY CONSERVATORY - THE YOUNGEST STUDENT EVER ADMITTED THERE.

TORI AMOS
I think when I was eight I had it a lot more together than when I was eighteen. Or even 28. There was something that I kind of have always been trying to capture again

VO# 5
AS A CHILD, TORI SET HER OWN AGENDA. BY AGE ELEVEN, SHE WAS MIXING LED ZEPPELIN AND THE BEATLES WITH BARTOK AND BEETHOVEN. THE PROFESSORS AT PEABODY WERE NOT AMUSED.

EDISON AMOS
In those days, you did classical or you weren't accepted. And therefore, she says, they kicked her out. Actually, she didn't get her scholarship again.

TORI AMOS
I tried to explain to them that John Lennon was, he's like the Bartok of our day. Don't you get that?

VO# 6
TORI LEFT PEABODY AT AGE 11, BUT SHE CONTINUED TO PLAY PIANO UP TO EIGHT HOURS A DAY. WHEN SHE TURNED 13, HER DAD HAD AN INSPIRATION.

EDISON AMOS
Tori, would you, uh, work if I were to get you a job downtown in music. She had not turned 14 then. She jumped up and down and screamed and said, daddy, would you?

TV TRACK: "CHINA" (Music Cue)

VO# 7
TORI GOT HER FIRST JOB AT A CLUB CALLED HENRY'S - A BAR WITH A GAY CLIENTELE. AS TORI TICKLED THE IVORIES EACH NIGHT, HER PARENTS SAT NEARBY TO CHAPERONE. IT TURNED OUT TO BE AN EDUCATIONAL EXPERIENCE FOR THE WHOLE FAMILY.

EDISON & MARY AMOS
Mary: I had never been in a lounge -
Edison: She had never been in a bar room in her life I don't think... Mary: Not an easy situation for me.

BILL RICKET
Reverend Amos, her father, of course, would come in a clerical collar and sit there in the lounge in the evenings he was always preaching the word of Tori Amos, at the time.

TORI AMOS
He caught a lot of flack from the parish when he took me down there. A lot. He's a real mixture of Billy Graham and James Dean. Sometimes we'll be walking, and I'll just say, you know, I'm glad I met that side of you. And he'll smile and say, me too. [LAUGH]

TV TRACK: "PAST THE MISSION" (Music Cue)

VO# 8
TORI SPENT SEVEN YEARS PLAYING AT POPULAR D.C. CLUBS LIKE MR. SMITH'S AND THE CELLAR DOOR. BUT HER ATTEMPTS TO INTEREST THE RECORD INDUSTRY IN HER OWN SONGS WENT NOWHERE.

TORI AMOS
I was sending out my demo tapes that I did myself, and I got so many letters back I could paste a wall with them, and the piano thing, the girl and the piano thing is over.

TV TRACK: "SPARK" (Music Cue)

VO# 9
DETERMINED TO MAKE IT ON HER OWN, 21 YEAR OLD TORI PACKED UP AND MOVED TO LOS ANGELES IN 1984. BUT, INSTEAD OF LANDING A RECORD DEAL, SHE FOUND HERSELF BACK IN THE BAR SCENE.

MATT SORUM
And there was Tori over on like a padded piano you know, with the big snifter glass in the middle with like dollars in there and stuff. A couple of bucks in there [LAUGH]

TORI AMOS
People would spill their beer all over my piano and retch and puke on the side of it and say, [acts drunk] will you play 'After The Lovin,' one more time?

MATT SORUM
it was a real serious drinking bar.

TORI AMOS
And you're going oh my god I'm in hell. My grandmother's getting me back for not being a good little Christian.

TV TRACK: "RASPBERRY SWIRL" (Music Cue)

VO# 10
IN '87, TORI, FUTURE GUNS AND ROSES DRUMMER MATT SORUM, AND GUITARIST STEVE CATON PUT A BAND TOGETHER, MIXING A TRENDY NEW WAVE SOUND WITH AN EVEN TRENDIER BIG HAIR LOOK. THEY CALLED THE BAND Y KANT TORI READ.

STEVE CATON
Tori didn't play piano. She mainly stood there and sang and then had a little string synthesizer.

MATT SORUM
She had these big boots on and her hair was all crazy

TORI AMOS
I wasn't really finding a piece of me. I was trying to cop a piece of what was being signed at the time.

VO# 11
BUT, WHEN ATLANTIC RECORDS OFFERED TORI A RECORD DEAL IN '87, SHE SNAPPED UP THE CHANCE.

TORI AMOS
Everybody has a breaking point. I think mine was seven and a half years of rejection letters.

MATT SORUM
she was sort of, think, being put in a mold that they kind of saw would work for that time period, okay, here we have this , this girl, we need a beat, and we're going to have her dance around in a video.

MUSIC VIDEO: "THE BIG PICTURE"
"Hey! The big picture, got a big white car..."

VO# 12
TORI'S DEBUT ALBUM, Y KANT TORI READ WAS RELEASED IN 1987 - AND BOMBED MISERABLY.

GAVIN EDWARDS
Tori still quotes a negative billboard review that she felt wounded by

TV TRACK: "WINTER" (Music Cue)

TORI AMOS
This billboard article had called me a bimbo... fair enough.

GAVIN EDWARDS
Y Kant Tori Read, you can look back and see there was a little bit of a spark there, But it was basically third rate Pat Benatar.

TV TRACK: "WINTER"
"When you gonna make up your mind..."

VO# 13
TORI'S CAREER AS A WANNABE-ROCK CHICK WAS OVER. HER REAL CAREER WAS ABOUT TO BEGIN.

ERIC ROSSE
everyone goes through a phase where you want to be something you're not

TORI AMOS
I'm a hunter. But, I just had to decide... will I hunt anything? ACT ONE TEASE

TV TRACK: "CRUCIFY" (Music Cue)

VO# 14
COMING UP, TORI LETS HER HAIR DOWN

TORI AMOS
Instead of putting all my content in my hair spray, and I decided to put it in my work.

VO# 15
THEN, SHE SHARES A TERRIBLE TRUTH.

ARTHUR SPIVAK
usually people end with, hey let's go with the hit. And she ends with an a capella song about, you know, rape.

VO# 16
WHEN BTM2 CONTINUES

ACT TWO

TV TRACK: "CRUCIFY"
"Crucify myself. Nothing I do is good enough for you. Crucify myself..."

VO# 1
IN THE LATE 80s, TORI AMOS HAD TRIED TO SELL HER SOUL FOR POP SUCCESS - ONLY TO DISCOVER THAT NO ONE WAS BUYING.

TORI AMOS
I had to hit bottom and understand that I was willing to sacrifice any kind of success if I could wake up with my self respect as a musician. But, it had to hit that.

EDISON AMOS
When 'Y Kant Tori Read' went down the tube she was totally devastated. Nevertheless that's one of the best things that ever happened to her, because then she began to write introspective songs.

VO# 2
WHILE LIVING IN LA, AND STRUGGLING TO FIND A NEW MUSICAL DIRECTION, TORI MET RECORD PRODUCER ERIC ROSSE. A MUSICAL PARTNERSHIP - AND A ROMANCE - QUICKLY BLOSSOMED.

ERIC ROSSE
she was coming off of the first bum record, uh, you know that just bombed out completely, and, and tested her self-worth, self-esteem, all those things.

TV TRACK: "FATHER LUCIFER" (Music Cue)

VO# 3
BY '88, TORY AND ERIC WERE LIVING AND WORKING TOGETHER IN A SMALL HOLLYWOOD APARTMENT - LAYING THE GROUNDWORK FOR TORI'S SOLO DEBUT LITTLE EARTHQUAKES.

ERIC ROSSE
a very limited, very, very, very limited budget with, limited time and limited space, tiny, tiny, tiny guest house where we had to take all the clothes out of a little, out of the closet in order to record guitars

MUSIC VIDEO: "SILENT ALL THESE YEARS"
"So, you found a girl who thinks really deep thoughts. What's so amazing about really deep thoughts. Boy, you best pray that I bleed real soon..."

TORI AMOS [REVUE]
I played "Little Earthquakes" to Doug Morris, who was the head of Atlantic, at the time. He looked at me, and he said what is this?

ARTHUR SPIVAK
Doug Morris knew that he had something that was special and brilliant and different. And, he didn't quite know what to do with it.

TORI AMOS [REVUE]
He looked at me, and said, Now you gotta get out of this country, because they're not going to understand this.

TV TRACK: "FATHER LUCIFER" (Music Cue)

VO# 4
AT THE SUGGESTION OF ATLANTIC RECORDS, TORI MOVED TO LONDON - THERE SHE HOPED TO FIND AN AUDIENCE FOR HER QUIET MUSICAL CONFESSIONS.

ARTHUR SPIVAK
She was fearless. Moved to London and, um, started literally playing for her supper.

JOHN WITHERSPOON
she was living in a very dodgy part of town, traveling to another very dodgy part of town.

TORI AMOS [REVUE]
There was this place called The Mean Fiddler. I remember just singing to the people that were on after me, and then slowly, slowly, slowly, there started to be more people.

VO# 4B
WITHIN A YEAR, TORI HAD BUILT A STRONG FOLLOWING AND BECAME THE DARLING OF THE BRITISH MUSIC PRESS.

TORI AMOS
I've been playing clubs for eleven years, six nights a week, two jobs a night before Little Earthquakes even made a flutter.

MUSIC VIDEO: "CHINA" (Music Cue)

VO# 5
LITTLE EARTHQUAKES SET OFF MAJOR TREMORS. RELEASED IN THE SPRING OF '92 - IT SOLD OVER A MILLION COPIES. TORI BECAME THE 'ALTERNATIVE' TO 'ALTERNATIVE'. THE CENTERPIECE OF TORI'S LIVE SHOWS WAS A SONG SHE TITLED ME AND A GUN - A CHILLING ACCOUNT OF A SEXUAL ASSAULT SHE'D KEPT HIDDEN FOR YEARS.

LIVE PERF: "ME AND A GUN"
"It was Me and a Gun and a Man on my back. And I sang Holy Holy, as he buttoned down his pants..."

KAREN BINNS
I saw her sing the song, and, um, I just started to cry.

TORI AMOS [ABC PRIME TIME LIVE]
There's a place when I sing it every night where I'm trying to free the demons

VO# 6
SEVEN YEARS BEFORE, WHILE PLAYING IN AN LA PIANO BAR, TORI HAD AGREED TO GIVE A REGULAR CUSTOMER A RIDE HOME. IN THE CAR THAT NIGHT, THE PASSENGER SEXUALLY ASSAULTED HER AT GUN POINT. TORI NEVER TOLD ANYONE OF THE ATTACK - NOT EVEN THE POLICE.

TORI AMOS [ABC PRIME TIME LIVE]
C'mon, I was a nightclub singer. I dressed sexy. Look, let's not kid each other. My case was over before it began. I'm really at a place where I believe you can heal, you can heal and yet not forget

MUSIC VIDEO: "BLISS" (Music Cue)

VO# 7
TORI'S PERFORMANCE STRUCK A POWERFUL CHORD. GRATEFUL FANS APPROACHED HER WITH THEIR OWN TALES OF ABUSE. TORI RESPONDED BY FOUNDING THE RAPE ABUSE AND INCEST NATIONAL NETWORK, OR RAINN, IN 1994 - AN ORGANIZATION WHICH PROVIDES FREE, CONFIDENTIAL PHONE COUNSELING FOR VICTIMS OF SEXUAL ASSAULT.

TORI AMOS
[RAINN PSA]
In the time it takes you to brush your teeth, one woman in America is forcibly raped. Unlock the silence.

ARTHUR SPIVAK
in the first five years we had approximately 275 thousand phone calls. The good news is it seems to be working. The bad news is there's so many people, that are out there that really need help.

TORI AMOS
it's not about having the answers or needing to make the right comment, just listening sometimes is what people need to hear, that you're really listening to them.

VO# 8
ME AND A GUN WASN'T THE ONLY SONG TORI WROTE TO COME TO GRIPS WITH HER PAST. THE DAUGHTER OF A MINISTER, SHE USED HER MUSICAL PULPIT TO PREACH HER OWN, PROVOCATIVE VIEWS ABOUT RELIGION.

MUSIC VIDEO: "GOD"
"God, sometimes you just don't come through..."

TORI AMOS
The importance for me is that Mother Mary does have her sexuality and the Magdalene has her wisdom and her spirituality and that was circumcised from both of them. And as Christian women we had to pick one or the other, so, you know, I'm very much a recovering Christian.

EDISON AMOS

She sometimes makes a parody of religion in a humorous way. But it's always to make people think.

TORI AMOS [REVUE]
My Dad really wanted me to write religious music. And, he got his wish, I guess [LAUGH]

MUSIC VIDEO: "GOD"
"Why you always go, when the wind blows..."

VO# 9
SPURRED ON BY SONGS LIKE GOD AND CORNFLAKE GIRL, TORI'S SECOND ALBUM, UNDER THE PINK, RELEASED IN '94, BECAME HER SECOND PLATINUM POP HIT.

MUSIC VIDEO: "CORNFLAKE GIRL"
"Peel out the watchword, just peel out the watchword..."

VO# 10
UNDER THE PINK ALSO SPELLED THE END OF TORI'S ROMANCE WITH PRODUCER ERIC ROSSE. IN 1995, AFTER SEVEN YEARS AND TWO ALBUMS TOGETHER, THEY PARTED WAYS.

ERIC ROSSE
it was mutual. It was a mutual agreement that we needed to do that in order to grow as individuals.

KAREN BINNS
she had a slight devastation. But the devastation of a teenager who's lost the love she had in high school and what is she going to do now?

VO# 11
TORI WOULD TURN HER HEARTBREAK INTO HER NEXT ALBUM - AND IN THE PROCESS OF MAKING IT, SHE WOULD FIND HER TRUE LOVE. ACT TWO TEASE

TV TRACK: "SPARK" (Music Cue)

VO# 12
COMING UP, CONFESSIONS OF A ROAD WARRIOR

TORI AMOS
It never was Animal House. I'm not that kind of person. It's about good wine and good food and I'm not, I'm not into being a pig in a trough, you know, that doesn't interest me.

VO# 13
WHEN BTM 2 CONTINUES

ACT THREE

MUSIC VIDEO: "CAUGHT A LITE SNEEZE"
"Boys on my left side, boys on my right side..."

VO# 1
IN 1996, TORI AMOS WAS CHANNELING HER FEELINGS ABOUT A BROKEN ROMANCE INTO AN ALBUM SHE TITLED BOYS FOR PELE.

MUSIC VIDEO:"HEY JUPITER"
"No one's picking up the phone, guess it's me and me..."

JOHN WITHERSPOON
If I wrote or if anybody else wrote, and you went through a breakup you'd write about it something happens to you, fairly major, your diary's going to be about that, and, uh, her diary is her songs.

TV TRACK: "TALULA" (Music Cue)

VO# 2
TO MAKE BOYS FOR PELE, TORI TRAVELED TO IRELAND. SHE RECORDED THE ALBUM IN AN ANCIENT CHURCH NEAR DUBLIN, WITH THE ENGINEERING TEAM OF MARCEL VAN LIMBEEK AND MARK HAWLEY.

MARK HAWLEY
When we started doing Boys For Pele, we met her at a very stressful time in the process

MARK HAWLEY & MARCELLE VAN LIMBEEK
very manic redhead...
Busy. [LAUGH]

MARK HAWLEY
But as, as the years have gone on it's gotten so much more laid back. And I, you know, I really think it shows in the work, too. She's just so into what she does.

VO# 3
FOR TORI AND MARK, THOSE RECORDING SESSIONS TURNED OUT TO BE THE BEGINNING OF A BEAUTIFUL RELATIONSHIP. BOYS FOR PELE WENT PLATINUM - AND TORI AND MARK FELL IN LOVE.

TORI AMOS
I kinda' looked and saw these kind of gorgeous calves walking in the distance and that was kind of beginning of the end for me. Tacky but true.

MUSIC VIDEO: "GLORY OF THE 80s"
(Music Cue)

VO# 4
TWO YEARS LATER, ON FEBRUARY 22nd, 1998, TORI AND MARK WERE MARRIED. THEY STILL WORK TOGETHER CLOSELY, ON THE ROAD AND IN THE STUDIO

MATT CHAMBERLAIN
he's in there like, working his butt off. He's just like, he's, he's in a trance or something

JON EVANS
he works with the nuts and bolts and she works with the, with all the adjectives.

JOHN WITHERSPOON
they definitely separate their work and their private life. And they do it very well. You know, they are the couple and they are the, the producer-engineer

MARK HAWLEY
we have to get over our arguments before the end of the night, I think, which is a great thing.

MUSIC VIDEO: "RASPBERRY SWIRL" (Music Cue)

VO# 5
COLLABORATING WITH MARK, TORI FOLLOWED BOYS FOR PELE WITH FROM THE CHOIRGIRL HOTEL IN '98 AND TO VENUS AND BACK IN '99 - SHE HAS SOLD MORE THAN TEN MILLION RECORDS TO DATE.

LIVE PERF: "BLISS" - HARD ROCK LIVE
" Say, Yeah, Come...."

VO# 6
BUT, HER TRUE PASSION LIES IN LIVE PERFORMANCE - AVERAGING OVER 160 DATES A YEAR - TORI IS A TRAVELING TROUBADOUR, CONSTANTLY SURROUNDED BY A CLOSE KNIT FAMILY OF BAND MEMBERS AND ROAD CREW. MOST OF THEM HAVE BEEN WITH HER FOR YEARS.

TORI AMOS [ON BUS]
You know, not everyone hangs out together when we're not touring together. It's not as if you're always having slumber parties to catch up. But there is something about when we're together. The four make a whole.

NATALIE CAPLAN
Tori has surrounded herself with people that she trusts that she likes that make life on the road more like a band of gypsies

TORI, JON, MATT, JOHN, STEVE [IN RESTAURANT] All: [singsong] "..di doing di doing di doing..."

MARY AMOS
she enjoys playing for her fans, and that's what keeps her going, is sharing her music with her fans.

TV TRACK: "A THOUSAND OCEANS" (Music Cue)

VO# 7
TORI'S FANS RETURN THAT DEVOTION IN SPADES.

NATALIE CAPLAN
I think that you can't have the kind of dedication from your fans, without giving an awful lot back.

KAREN BINNS
They feel that she can save their life. We are talking about a fan base that goes beyond fans.

STEVE CATON
They're pretty die hard, you know.

CHAMBERLAIN & EVANS
c: you'll be having a great gig and look out in the audience and they're be like, everybody's crying... e: right like a whole row, they're all crying, it's like hey, you know. [laugh] c:And you do see the same people at a lot of gigs. Its almost like that grateful dead kind of following you know, only they wear wings...

TORI AMOS
It sometimes has the grateful dead appearance, except less patchouli oil... better shoes.

TV TRACK: "BLISS" (Music Cue)

VO# 8
AT HER CORE, TORI AMOS REMAINS THE SAME AS SHE EVER WAS - AN ARTIST WHO STRIPS HERSELF BARE THROUGH MUSIC, WHILE CLOAKING HERSELF IN ENOUGH MYSTERY TO KEEP FANS COMING BACK FOR MORE

ARTHUR SPIVAK
that's what artists do, they make art. And the ones that enjoy performing, and she loves performing, they'll perform until their last dying breath.

JOHN WITHERSPOON
She's learnt to enjoy herself.You have to learn that. You have to learn to be able to enjoy what you have. And, she, she's now enjoying what she has. She's learning to enjoy it more.

TORI AMOS
That changes everyday really. Some days when I'm chasing my tail and some days, it's just out there, curling, purring.

[CLOSING TITLE SEQUENCE]

MUSIC VIDEO: "BLISS"

[VH1 COPYRIGHT AND LOGO]

From blank-ette:

i was pleased to finally see Tori recognized. but it really pissed me off that they went thru her whole life and then like the last 5 years or so took up 2 minutes! let's here about to venus and back!!! VH1 really rushed it. they shouldv'e done the whole hour thing.

just becuase Tori doesn't have a drug addiction or is a recovering alcoholic doesn't mean that she is not an interesting person. she deserved a full hour if not 2!

it wasn't all bad, i'm glad they interviewed the band and crew. and showed a clip of the Big Picture (yikes!)

i taped it anyway.

From joshawk:

I definitely think VH1 did a good job on this. I completely underestimated them. Hearing from Tori's parents and friends was a big plus, and I feel like it was well-edited so that Tori didn't come off like the fruitcake many consider her to be.

One thing I don't really like about BTM2 in general is the thing they do with the pictures...taping them on windows and hanging them from trees. I noticed that on the Enrique Inglesias one, and I find it disturbing for some reason. Also, I agree that the new narrator's voice is kinda weak compared to the regular guy. Oh, and my explanation for why "Vanilla Ice got an hour and Tori only got 30 minutes" is that Tori hasn't A) had a drug/alcohol problem B) suffered a major financial downfall or blow to her career C) lost touch with the people and disappeared off the face of the earth. These are the keys for an hour-long BTM, don't ya know?

Oh, I thought this was funny...they showed the first Mark bit, and I thought "He has nice legs!" then Tori made that comment about the calf muscles, which just made me laugh. Great minds think alike or something...

From black swan:

I thought her mother was adorable!

I also loved Tori's comment "I think my father wanted me to write religious music...well, I did." **with a big smirk** (not the exact quote, but you get the idea.)

I'm glad I got to see it!

From Michelle:

I love that she was happy and talkative and not talking in riddles or about wine and boats blowing up.

I also like the comment about her fans being like Greatful Dead fans but less patchouli and better shoes! LOL

I also thought it was a very well put together piece, and it was too short. She needed an hour. However, just think about some of the people that have been given an hour.. most of them are either has-been or older mega-pop icons. I think getting a half hour was better than not recognizing her at all.

From Mike (Doughnut Hole):

I've been thinking more about BTM2, and had a question for everyone. I thought BTM2 did a great job in several respects, especially with Tori's early career. The more I think about it, though, the more it seems like they tried to "mainstream" Tori a little, or perhaps smooth away some of her rougher edges. They showed some of "cutesy" Tori (boinkety-boink), along with a lot of Tori's bandmembers, family, and a few friends. But I was missing the "Daily Show" Tori. The unpredictable, eat-my-pussy shouting Tori who makes up crazy stories about taking drugs with Native Americans and seeing God (a woman, of course). Or who goes on national TV for an interview and decides not to talk. Or who can talk for an hour about various New Age (excuse the term) religions and religious beliefs. Or who stumbles over her words, contradicts herself, and then looks at the interview like she/he's an idiot or from another planet.

From joshawk:

I kind of missed the "quirky" Tori, but I think VH1 totally represented her as an artist, first and foremost and less as "that weird chick" which made me pretty happy. I hate it when interviews (especially in newspapers) are edited out of context and Tori is turned into a faerie-loving weirdo who just says stuff that doesn't make sense.

They wanted even non-fans to be able to watch it, and in that respect I think they appealed to everyone.

From Michelle:

I am very happy that for the first time we have an interview and documentary about her that potrayed her in a very postive, down to earth way. I hate the "quirky" interviews cause they make her look like a freak and make us look like bigger freaks for liking her.

From KimWu:

I definitely agree they "toned her down" a bit, but like joshawk and michelle have said, they were trying to appeal to an audience who may not know much about her. I think they did a fair job considering time constraints and the amount of material which was probably gathered for the show. I mean, they can't show everything. I thought the quote by Eric.."she's a bad mother-fucker!" pretty much sums Tori up So I'm happy.

From TheRockSaysILoveTori:

It was very good but it seemed very rushed. I couldn't believe that Eric and Mark both talked. Eric even talked about the breakup that was priceless. Is it me or does Mark not look anyting like his wedding pictures. 20 minutes was just not enough. You give Vanilla Ice a full hour and Tori a half hour? That's crazy. All in all it was the best 20 minutes of Tori I have ever seen. I missed the narrator of the 1 hour behind the music. I like his voice better. Also didnt't Tori's legs look like they were porcelin? :) Axl... Rock & Roll needs you more than ever.

From Elasia:

i agree with everything everyone has said (except allanah,what's wrong with grateful dead fans? i'm one?!?! a huge one) lol,anyways, i lmao at those parts,esp tori" they're like grateful dead fans,except less patchouli and better shoes" lolololol. i have great shoes btw. it's true though,dead fans are like a big family,and that's the feel i mainly get here they did an awesome job and i was so shocked to see all the people too ,just so glad they seemed to work hard to make a good show and not just the "norm" show. even though it was things we knew,it made us happy. oh, and you can see pix of karen in the plugged tour book in the wedding pix (midget on acid lmao!)

From Ms.Sparkle:

I was very impressed. I thought it was going to be a jammed packed 30 minutes of the stuff they always cover. You know the routine... prodigy, preacher's kid, bad hair day, rape...fairy goddess, rabid fans....etc. Although this was the a lot of the subject matter, it was presented completely different. I liked the fact that it was told first hand by people who know or have known her. It definately needed to be longer. But I guess we should just be thankful Tori got a BTM2.

From UpsideDownGirl:

I'm sure it's all been said before since I'm posting very late, but I also thought it was very well done for just a 20 minute slot. I knew they were either going to have to concentrate on the past or present...but the couldn't do both which was too bad. My favorite moments were when they would show her at the piano writing in a notepad...it's crazy that's how this all happens. Just her sitting there with this little notepad. Also, as I posted in a topic - I just thought her parents were the CUTEST!! I wish that she had gotten a regular behind the music - there was too much I felt they didn't cover - before we knew it we had jumped from Under the Pink to To Venus and Back - the last three albums were very much a blur...all in all I enjoyed it - naturally because what of hers DON'T I enjoy ;)

From Alannah Rose Selene:

My boyfriend chided me all week about this show and said he knew I'd hate it, and I'm happy to say he was wrong! It was not at all what I expected, and as soon as I saw Eric I knew it'd be interesting! Was anyone else weirded out seeing Tori's dad without his glasses? I was a little disappointed in the pictures/footage they used. 90% of it was totally recycled (Mtv Revue, All These Years book, 20/20, Storytellers, Hard Rock Live, Bliss video...) and stuff I'd seen a million times before. But they did make it really flow together in a nice way, and I was pleasantly surprised at how much they let Tori speak! She was WAY more straightforward than I ever would've expected her to be--there weren't any of her usual "quirky" metaphours. Am I the only one who prefers NOT to have anything in common with a Grateful Dead fan, wings or not?? Well, for 23 minutes' worth of time, they did a decent job! Surprise, surprise!

From Mike (Doughnut Hole:

I wanted more gossip! The miscarriage! The Trent Reznor/Courtney Love/Tori connection! Tori saying she loves women but hates hair pie! Stuff like that!

I agree with everyone. FAR better than I thought, but there was SO obviously material for an hour...they said NOTHING about her going plugged. They said virtually nothing about Venus or Choirgirl. Nothing about Alanis. Nothing about Neil Gaiman. Nothing about where the band came from (a lot about her girl-and-a-piano period, but where did the band come from?). Almost nothing about Tori's religious stuff/beliefs (except a quote about the two mary's). Nothing from Beenie (although that may have been Beenie's decision, for all I know). Nothing from Pat! Nothing about Mikewhy, dammit! Nothing about her life, really, after Eric (sure, a little about the marriage, but that's it, and that was painted, ok, for good reason, in almost ridiculously rosy and unrealistic terms). They could have gotten more personal about her later life, and did more with her later career. And WHY do her fans wear wings? Ok, we know, but what about the rest of BTM2 watchers?

From Fiercest Calm:

oh wow!! i absolutely loved it! when it was over i said to my mom..."well, now i have something new of tori to watch 20,000 times for the next weeks!! " she just let out an "oh, god, not again" kinda sigh

when i saw mark talking my jaw dropped to the floor. that was definitely cool! and then towards the end when matt

and jon were on! oh wow!!!!!!!

tori has great men!! haha

i thought it was really great how there were clips of her recording at the piano. one clip showed her just belting it

out into the mic! that was soo good

um, tori of course was absolutely beautiful. i even told my mom that i was jealous of her amazing legs

did u see them girls? how does she get them? haha

um...........lemme see.........her parents are soo cute

well, i dunno what else to say. i think that vh1 did a really great job.

yah it shoulda been an hour i guess but i'm absolutely satisfied with what vh1 gave to us

From Erin:

Wow! I have actually enjoyed something VH1 has done! It was really good. I really liked the shots of the pictured that were hung on buildings or in the street, I think it was a great idea. I also agree it needed to be an hour! I loved Eric's midget on acid quote, I think that will become a classic!

From GlttrGrrl:

-I agree, it was way TOO SHORT. It definitely should have been longer

-For what it was, it was incredible. She looked so beautiful (did you notice how good her legs looked??), and the footage was just great. SO many things I had never seen before.

-I agree with a lot of the other things already said, so I don't want to repeat them, but one other thing I would have like to have seen was more of her working on the recordings, etc. So often what we get is the end product, and I would like to have seen what she's like before there's an audience, before there's an album, when she's putting it all together.

-I saw a lot of Tori in her mom. It was great getting to hear so much from her when we usually hear more from her father.

-um, Matt Sorum looked HOT!!! SOmebody please hook me up. Too bad I met him 7 years ago in the big, bad hair days of GnR. Oh well.

*sigh* I don't know if that can feed my Tori need for the next year or two.

From speedracer:

I thought VH-1 did an excellent job...aside fron the fact that Tori really does deserve an hour! Karen Binns is a hairstylist or boutique owner ( I can't remember) who was introduced to Tori by photographer Cindy Palmano. Karen basically gives Tori references concerning fashion, style, etc. (Note that Tori thanks her on the TVaB cover in the credits..'Karen Binns: references of hot'. But, that said, I must say that I am actually proud oh VH-1. (There's a first time for everything!!!!)

From xian:

really fantastic! they got EVERYONE interviewed (except beenie) anyway i was shocked by some of the people... not at all how i thought they sounded and all... but wow. a full hour would have been HEAVEN. it was so well done though. beautiful shots and there was a LOT of editing work... all those fast edits and all. wow. it was great. shots from all sorts of old tv appearances and press videos and stuff. GREAT stuff. i was PISSED they skimped out on ftch though. that would have been cool to see them in cornwall and all (like the press kit) but whatever. we cant have it all i guess. it was funny how they were just like "oh yeah there were these two other albums too... maybe you heard of them...) heh. it was great. i love her little circle of people. they rule! ha! awesome. GREAT for non fans... (or people who you are trying to make AWARE of what tori is all about)

From Pinkishimpish:

I loved it, there were new pictures, well, not new but ones I had never seen before, and her parents are so cute!!! I was suprised too, that they didn't mention Poppa or the miscarriage, probably since it was so short they didn't have time??? Anyway, I thought it was well done.

I know, Mark Horly, heehee. I thought that John Witherspoon was her manger-manager when I saw him at the M&G, but I guess not! This is the first time I've seen Arthur Spivak and a few other people she mentions. Eric cut his hair! Now I'm just babbling! Bye!

From Rob:

just finished watching it... i thought it was damn good!... just too crammed together. but it was a lot better than i expected to be honest. it was great and really well done. ...

and jon saying the fans are like the grateful dead following except they wear wings. heheh. and you get to see her mom and dad, and mark and eric rosse and marcel... and her friend... i think her name was karen. i had never heard of her before. (wonder why the didn't have beenie too... maybe she just didn't want to.)

so yeah. it was really cool.

From Andromeda Rising:

Matt: They're like the Grateful Dead. Only they wear wings. Something like that! And a shot of doingety-doing. Cute. Nice show, but its sad knowing how much more they could've done with an hour...

From Laru:

That was excellent with the exception of how FTCH and TVAB were just thrown in there. I wish it had been longer. But overall it was very well done. Eric referring to Tori as the midget redhead on acid was the best! lol! (never realized how attractive eric is ) My only complaint again was IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN AN HOUR!!! But other than that it rocked! i'm rambling.....

From Princess Buttercup:

hee hee That was funny when Jon and Matt were describing her fans that are always crying. Was it me, or did they pronounce Mark's last name as HORLY?

From pelegurl:

OMG! this is amazing. they are doing a WONDERFUL job on this..i love it! best show about tori i have seen in a loooong time.

From Lydia Anne:

I LOVED it as most of it was "filmed" at Saratoga Springs!!!! (my HOME VENUE)

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